


paint me something pretty

by soonchanbby



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: M/M, Seventeen - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-07
Updated: 2018-07-07
Packaged: 2019-06-06 21:53:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15204257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soonchanbby/pseuds/soonchanbby
Summary: where jun, an established and renowned artist, stumbles upon the work of a college student named minghao while at an art showcase being held at the university he once attended.





	paint me something pretty

**Author's Note:**

> hi everyone!! this is my first junhao fic kdhfdkfdk but i'm really excited bc,, i love,, junhao

it's friday night when minghao receives an email from his professor about the upcoming art showcase being held on campus. his professor has mentioned it to him a few days earlier, but minghao wasn't really sure if he was ready for something like that. like, galleries are for  _artists._ minghao didn't feel like an artist. he felt like a college student that paints occasionally. so when he receives that email, he's not quite sure how to react. like, he's surprised and he's excited, but also apprehensive.

he's been to events like this before, he's seen what gets showcased. it's always the best of the best. painters, sculptures, designers, they're all there, and they're amazing. their work is _amazing._ minghao has never had such an oppurtunity before and he knows he'd be stupid to turn it down. 

his response is short, letting his professor know that he would be happy to participate in such an amazing event. but as soon as he closes his laptop, panic sets in. the gallery is in a week, and in that time he has to find  _something_ to present and, in addition, write a summary of what the piece is. it's not a particularly difficult task, but minghao has so many different pieces that it'll take him hours to look through them all. 

it takes several days for minghao to finally decide what he would like to showcase, and by the time he does, the showcase is in just two days. he decides on a piece that's pretty recent. it was for a project that he did during second semester of his sophomore year of college, which was only a few months ago. the assignment was to create a portrait of a landscape of your choice and make it as realistic and accurate as possible. for minghao, it wasn't difficult to chose a location to recreate because he immediately thinks of an awesome spot to try.

his piece (that eventually earned an 'A'), was of two of his friends, mingyu and wonwoo. it was a recreation of a photo that he had taken on his phone of the two, tangled in each others limbs in the middle of a field of wild flowers. the piece had gotten a lot recognition, so he decided it would be a good fit for the showcase. they'd all discovered this field together a few summers ago whilst they were trying to navigate through the dark streets of seoul. the three of them, along with their other friends seungcheol, jeonghan, and soonyoung had been walking home from a party. they were all drunk, high, or both, and eventually they got lost somehow and ended up spending the night in the field.  

\--

when the night of the showcase finally comes around, minghao's on a whole new level of nervous. first, he spent two hours trying to decide what to wear. he tried on everything in his closet before  settling on a simple floral button down with black dress pants (obviously being held up by his favorite gucci belt). after he got dressed, he attempted some eyeliner but hated it and decided to go for a more subtle eye look consisting of a shimmery, light pink base and a super soft liner (it took him a few tries, but he got there eventually). 

after he'd crossed the bridge of getting ready and looking presentable, he only has a few minutes until he has to leave. he spends these few moments absolutely freaking out, to the point where he calls mingyu, almost in tears. 

"oh god, i feel like i might die, gyu, literally. i'm freaking out right now. maybe i just shouldn't go."

"minghao, listen to me," mingyu says. "your art is amazing, and that's why your professor asked you to participate. you have  _nothing_ to worry about. everybody will love your work, honey. don't worry." 

"thank you, gyu. i'm just scared, you know? like, random people approaching me and asking me about my art? i don't know if i'm ready for that." minghao explains. 

"wonwoo says you're overreacting. just breathe, you got this." mingyu encourages. minghao hears wonwoo agree in the background. 

"god, i'll try. i have to leave now, so i'll tell you how it goes after. wish me luck." minghao sighs before hanging up the phone. 

he takes one final deep breath before he grabs his keys and leaves without another word. his car always sits in the same spot in the parking lot outside of his apartment complex, so he quickly finds it and loads up all of his stuff in the back before heading to the venue.

when he arrives, he gives himself a mini pep-talk before grabbing his stuff and entering the building. the place is big, and there's a ton of people inside. he's greeted by a fancy-looking lady who tells him where to go and what to set up. the set up is pretty simple, all of the artist are lining the walls of a  _huge_ room, and next to them their works are either propped up on an easel or on top of a waist height column. 

minghao is super shy, so he just stands there with his hands behind his back, looking really nervous. he hopes nobody notices. 

soon it's time for the showcase to start, and minghao is probably the most nervous he's been since had that small panic attack before he left. his heart races when the big main entrance is opened and people come flooding in.  _woah,_ is minghao's first thought. after that, he kind of zones out for a minute. the first half hour or so is really slow, and only few people visit his station. they all compliment his work briefly and then shuffle along to the next piece. minghao doesn't mind though, he almost prefers that the visitors don't talk much. 

throughout the night, minghao's work attracts more people who stop and read the description that minghao wrote about the piece. 

 

_"Boys x Nature by Xu MInghao_

_Exploration fueled by alcohol and a desire for somewhere to sleep"_

 

 

so far, he's only seen one person that he's recognized, and it was his professor who came to see how things were going. he told minghao he was proud of him and the work he's put in, and then he runs off into the crowd of people, and minghao doesn't see him again for the rest of the night. 

towards the end of the showcase, there's only a handful of people still there and minghao is happy with how the night went. he feels content and, in a way, proud of himself. he made it through the night without any tears, which is a victory in itself. 

minghao is ready to start packing up when someone he thinks he recognizes turns and starts walking towards him. at first, he thinks he might know him from one of his classes. it only takes him a few seconds to realize who he's actually looking at. 

"hello," he says. "i'm-"

"you're wen junhui, oh my god" minghao chokes out accidentally. he's positive that that sounded really stupid. he's embarrased now.

"that's me," junhui laughs. "perhaps you've seen some of my work before?"

"y-yes." minghao mentally curses at himself for stuttering. "i have. you're amazing, your work is... amazing." 

"thank you," junhui pauses, signaling for minghao to say his name.

"oh, my name is xu minghao." he holds out his hand, which jun takes in his own and shakes firm.

"well, minghao, i think that this piece you've brought with you is beautiful. can i buy it?"

minghao isn't sure he heard him correctly, "what?"

"let me buy it, your painting."

"oh no, i can't take your money. and, it's not really for sale at the moment." minghao politely declines, even though he wants to scream with joy.  _the_ wen junhui wants to buy his art. 

"are you sure i can't put  _any_ money towards your work? i'd love to help you create more." junhui tries to persuade minghao, but to no avail. minghao is stubborn.

"no, no, no. i can't accept your money. but thank you so, so much for the offer." minghao politely declines. 

junhui just smiles at him, "you're very welcome. i've gotta run, but it was nice meeting you, minghao. keep doing what you're doing."

before minghao can actually answer, junhui gives him a wink and walks off, straight out the front doors. gone just as fast as he'd came. 

minghao runs his fingers through his hair,  _what the hell just happened?_ he asks himself. wen junhui, a world renowned artist, had acknowledged and praised _his_ work? he thinks he must be dreaming. god, everything about junhui made minghao's heart race. seeing him on twitter was nothing like seeing him in person. he's taller, he's prettier, and his  _voice._ minghao can still hear it in his head, their conversation playing over and over again. 

when minghao eventually comes out of his junhui-induced shock, it's already time to leave. he quickly packs all of his stuff up and heads toward the nearest exit. before he can make it to the door, somebody calls his name. he turns to find the woman who had helped him earlier. 

"i've been given instructions by wen junhui to give this to you before you leave." she explains as she hands him an envelope. 

minghao nods and thanks her before turning around and walking out to the parking lot. once he's sitting in his car, he opens it. inside sits a note and five hundred dollars. the note reads, ' _buy yourself some new art supplies and paint me something  pretty. - wjh'_

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> sorry this chapter is short!! i hope you guys enjoy. i will be updating soon hehe. ps sorry if there's any mistakes im too lazy to proof read lmaodfhsjdfh


End file.
